Pages

Friday, November 22, 2013

Reckless

Sometimes I say things and my son, Logan says, "Thank you, Captain Obvious!" (He loves giving his momma a hard time.) But as I sit here thinking about what my son says to me about being obvious, I am reminded that the obvious is often overlooked when serving God. Many times, He puts things out there for us, and we are so caught up in our everyday lives that we MISS the obvious. We need to be reckless. I want to be reckless!What does it mean to be reckless where God is concerned? To me, it means jumping in with both feet and running with whatever it is that He has given to you. For me, that would be the healing that He did in my life. God gave me an outlet, using my love of writing, my goofiness, my silliness at times, and the new found boldness and courage to step out with purple hair and mismatched socks and GO FOR IT!

Being reckless means stepping out in faith and recklessly following God in whatever He has commissioned you to do! There is no reason to be afraid. No reason to get anxious, apprehensive, or worried. Because if God called you to do something, you can be confident that He is going to be right with you to see it through. If He is for you, then no one or nothing can stand in your way!

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ~Romans 8:31, NLT

For many, many years...TOO MANY years, I was afraid to step out because I was so intimidated and controlled by my emotions and the opinions of others that to be reckless in my faith was just too much for me. The tongue lashing I would get from those around me, family, friends, church people, kept me frozen in place, wishing with all that was within me that I could just DO something reckless! I wanted so badly to step out like I saw others doing. People like Joyce Meyer, Patsy Clairmont, Beth Moore, Anne Graham-Lotz, and women who were stepping out and speaking up inspired me. Yet, I could only wish.

And then a beautiful thing happened... God healed me from the inside out and all of a sudden, I became RECKLESS! I had always loved writing, but could never channel it, or find an outlet. Just a short time before God healed me, I began building a website. This website. Though I didn't know why. The night I was healed, I heard, "NOW...write." And the words were there! Not only that, but driving down the road one day, after writing that I loved wearing mismatched socks, I heard, "Use those socks to encourage and tell others that I still love them and I can use them. I have a purpose for them, like they have for the socks."So, the mismatched sock ministry started and people went crazy for them! But it's not about the socks. It's a reckless and outgoing way of telling people, "Hey, we are ALL different. And just like these socks still have a purpose, God has a purpose for you!"

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

But how can I segue into telling someone that without just blurting it out? I needed something to get people to talk to me without scaring them off before I can tell them how much Jesus loves them, wants to heal them, and has a purpose for them. Do you know, He gave me that, too?My daughter Katie, came in one day with hot pink highlights in her bangs. They were beautiful! But a week later, she colored them back to her natural hair color because she felt that she just couldn't pull it off. It really bothered her. And that's when I heard, "So YOU get PURPLE in your hair!"

WHAT?! Purple! Really? That is REALLY reckless! Hey wait a minute... if I have purple hair, that would be really obvious, and people will see that and maybe say something. And I heard, "There is your segue." So, I did it. And it worked! Talk about reckless! What grandmother do you know who wears mismatched socks and colors her hair purple?That would be me. Reckless. Since God healed me, He gave me a writing outlet. He gave me a voice. He gave me mismatched socks. And yes, He even gave me purple hair (although I have to have someone put it in there for me). But it is all part of the reckless way that I follow Him.How are YOU beingreckless for God? What obvious thing has He given you that makes you stand out and be a sold-out,reckless, child of the King? I'd love to hear yourreckless story!

Stay up to date with me! Enter your email in the box below. No information will be shared and everything is kept private...between you and me.

12
comments:

Purple hair and mismatched socks? I'm pretty sure I saw that same combination in Revelation somewhere? :) Maybe not. What a wonderful post about experiencing the freedom provided by the Lord! Thanks for sharing!

How fun and good for you! I would like to go there but not sure I could pull it off- I am 58 after all. Maybe it's like the poem 'when old will wear purple'. Something to explore! Although I do wear a subdued Boho look... Mmmmm.

I love your ministry -- pulling a casket behind a motorcycle, and purple hair and mismatched socks. Sounds like there's a book in there somewhere! Write on, reckless girl with a sword! You're an inspiration and there are people who need to read what you write! :-)

I was looking for the courage to use "R" for "Ready or Not" and - lo and behold - your "R"eckless self spoke that courage into me. My daughter calls what you do "living out loud" to describe her amazing husband. You're living life out loud and in living color. Love it! See ya...I've got a post to write. Stay tuned :)

Nancy, one thing that my husband and I do is live outside the box. But it's all about what the Lord is doing...we just make ourselves available. If that means encouraging you, then I've done my job! Go for it sister! ;-]

About Me

Shelley Wilburn lives in Southern Illinois on a small piece of land she and her husband refer to as their Rinky Dink Farm. She is the author of the Walking Healed books, several articles, blog posts and book reviews. She has guest blogged for other blogs, co-authored devotionals, and spoken at various women’s gatherings.
Shelley has a unique healing testimony and finds great pleasure in helping to encourage, educate and inspire others to find hope, health and healing through her Walking Healed ministry.
Shelley is married to her high school sweetheart, D.A. They have three grown, married children, children-in-law, five grandsons and one granddaughter. They love raising chickens, having fun and taking impromptu trips to the mountains and secret getaways.
You can follow Shelley on her blog and social media pages; Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. You can also get firsthand updates on her books and new releases by signing up for her newsletter and following her on her Amazon Author page.